Jun 27 (DM) A good case in point is the response by the leaders and majority of supporters of the SLPP to the recent remark by the former special commander of the LTTE for the Batticaloa and Ampara Districts Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman that he killed thousands of soldiers during the war. They make a big hue and cry when Tamil leaders occasionally make their ritualistic demand that the govt confine the security forces in the North to barracks. more..

Jun 27 (DM) The United Nations yesterday marked the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. Supported each year by individuals, communities, and various organisations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society, the UN says. According to the world body, more..

Jun 27 (DM) Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman a.k.a. Col Karuna has got himself into hot water by shooting his mouth off at an election meeting in the East. Currently Karuna Ammaan is the chief candidate on the Amparai District list of the AhilaIlankai Thamizh Maha Sabha (All Ceylon Greater Tamil Council). With an intense election campaign being conducted, political party speakers and propagandists are engaged in more..

Jun 27 (CT) Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan is making news again. Popularly known by his nom de guerre Colonel Karuna Amman, he first made news with his well-publicised defection from the LTTE in 2004. Since then he provided valuable intelligence on the LTTE, which marked a turning point in the three-decade long separatist conflict. He has since been engaged in mainstream politics. More than 10 years after the war ended, he is again in the news after making a controversial statement: more..

Jun 27 (CT) Among the several heartbreaking stories that came about as a result of the brutal Easter Sunday bombings last year is that of Fatima Farida Umma, mother of Fatima Jiffri � who detonated a bomb at a house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda when Police arrived to search the premises � as she claims, �I don�t want to call her my daughter anymore.� Testifying on 22 June before the PCoI probing the Easter bombings, she said she no longer cared for her child, but more..

Jun 27 (Island) Former Cabinet Minister Milinda Moragoda has urged political parties to seriously consider the abolition of the monster Provincial Council system which has cost this country a great deal more than a pretty penny. Six of the existing nine PCs ended their terms in 2018 while the other three went out of office last year and Governors are ruling all provinces. The whole country has been privy to the public slanging match between the previous yahapalana administration and more..

Jun 27 (Island) During the last few weeks, the media has paid a great deal of attention to fundamental rights cases filed in our Supreme Court. The electronic media, typically expressed half-truths or incorrect information on what these cases were about. Sadly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, opposition parties who should have been concerned with the matter, failed to contradict the toxic messages on the TV, regarding this litigation in the Supreme Court. more..

Jun 27 (CT) An underworld gangster and a drug trafficker, who had terrorised an area, had perished following an exchange of gunfire with a Police Squad tasked with eradicating the underworld from Colombo and the suburbs. The incident took place at dawn on 26 June. The squad from the Western Province North � Crimes Division had been carrying out an operation in the Gampaha area under the instructions of more..

Jun 27 (Island) Finally, after such a long wait, Sri Lanka will have its 16th parliamentary election on Aug 5, 2020. This would be the fourth August election after parliamentary elections began in 1947, which was also the first August election and voting in that election went on for a month from 25 Aug to 20 Sept. The sinister purpose of extended voting was to give the outgoing Board of Ministers, who had jumped on to the new political wagon (the UNP) created on the fly by DS Senanayake, more..

Jun 27 (TM) Cyaniq Global is one of Colombo�s leading marketing, communications, and content creation firms, servicing 10 of the top 20 corporates listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). Cyaniq Global made waves when they announced a new arm of operations during the pandemic, the service Kada Malu, a digitally run grocery store set up and operated by Cyaniq Global that dealt with delivering essential items and groceries to customers� doorsteps in the midst of curfew. more..

Jun 27 (FT) Central Bank (CBSL) yesterday took a fresh move to set the record straight on the regulation of finance and leasing companies in an apparent response to the recent criticism by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The bank issued a detailed statement clarifying its regulation and the extent to which the monetary authority can be held responsible whilst insisting existing laws and regulations cast responsibilities on more..

Jun 27 (Island) Former Test captain Mahela Jayawardene and former SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala are at daggers drawn following the recent match fixing allegations. Jayawardene�s sensational hundred in the 2011 World Cup final was in vain as Sri Lanka lost a closely fought game in Bombay. Like most sensible Sri Lankans, he had dismissed suggestions of there being foul play in the final. The allegations had been levelled by then Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. more..

Jun 27 (EN) Following is the first in a series of interviews EconomyNext hopes to have with academics & public intellectuals on the way forward in a post-COVID-19 world. Prof (retired) Sisira Pinnawala of the Dept of Sociology at the Uni of Peradeniya warns that it is shortsighted to see post-COVID situation as just an economic crisis that can be dealt with by economic solutions. He believes it is a socio-economic crisis that needs to be understood from a political economic perspective. more..

Jun 27 (Island) SL�s fight against COVID-19 pandemic needs to be commended with only 11 deaths and less than 500 active cases. Once the schools restart next month, life will be back to normal. The indication that the airport too will be reopened by next week to resume regular travel there is a sigh of relief and the health sector, security forces and the govt have done a remarkable job. Thanks to their efforts, we are able to resume more..

Jun 27 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials visited Jaffna yesterday and visited a number of sites, and based on their visit have initiated a number of plans to develop cricket in the Jaffna peninsula, which has long been neglected by the country�s cricket authorities. SLC President Shammi Silva stated they will construct a cricket stadium in Mallakam with a turf wicket to play domestic cricket, and the investment will be in the region of Rs 20-25 million. SLC also visited some schools in Jaffna more..

Jun 27 (Island) In its quest to continuously support SL�s export industries and to keep the country connected with the global economy during the pandemic, the National Carrier SriLankan Airlines has converted a wide-body passenger aircraft into a dedicated cargo aircraft. This converted Airbus A330 aircraft commenced operations on the 25th of June to key destinations in the Far East and Europe. Ashok Pathirage, chairman of SriLankan Airlines said, "We have transformed this aircraft more..

Jun 27 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to include 20 premier umpires to their contract list for the first time in a major boost to raise the standard and to uplift the wellbeing of cricket umpires in the country. SLC would provide a fixed monthly payment for these 20 umpires who would be divide into three categories, namely Int'l, Emerging, and Level-1. All other Test playing nations have provided contracts for their umpires but more..

Jun 27 (DM) The govt should decide on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Agreement with the United States before the general elections, SJB candidate Harshana Rajakaruna said. He said that the govt should take a proper stand on the agreement before elections as per the pledge it made during the presidential election. �The govt got the mandate to refrain from signing the MCC agreement and therefore it should come up with a clear stand on it,� he said. more..

Jun 27 (EN) SL tea prices continued to dip apart from Pekoe teas with Low Growns and some High Growns showing good demand, however a drop in quality was seen, market participants said. Low grown teas were doing well in price, whereas volumes were a bit static, brokers said. Very best teas had taken a hit owing to a price correction with persisting demand. SL sold 6.5 million kg of Ceylon tea with 0.9 million kg of Ex-Estate tea and 2.9 million kg of Low Grown (Leafy/Tippy) teas more..

Jun 27 (CT) There is substantial potential for increasing India-Sri Lanka bilateral trade, which stood at US$ 4.59 b in 2019, High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay said at the virtually-held AGM of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). He also stressed the importance of policy consistency in the Govt�s policy formation process to attract sustainable investors to the country, while establishing a level playing field for more..

Jun 27 (DN) Central Bank (CB) will commence the second stage of compensation payments to depositors of The Finance Company PLC (TFC) from July 2, 2020. Accordingly, such payments will take place at 63 branches of the People�s Bank, CB said. This compensation mechanism is based on Rs. 600,000/- per depositor. Upon cancellation of the finance business license of TFC by the Monetary Board of the CB, compensation payments to the depositors/legal beneficiaries of depositors more..

Jun 27 (DN) Following SL�s successful containment of COVID-19, Sri Lanka Tourism has been collaboratively exploring avenues of re-positioning SL as the world�s number one destination with an excellent health care system, by introducing extensive health and safety protocols to ensure a Safe and Secure traveller experience. Through an extensive consultative process with all stakeholders within the tourism sector, a comprehensive operational guideline with health protocols more..

Jun 27 (NBC) The US Supreme Court on Thursday gave a victory to the Trump administration on the president's signature issue of immigration, ruling that some people seeking asylum in the U.S. can be deported without additional court hearings. In a 7-2 vote, the court said people who fail to make a valid case for asylum in their initial screenings, by credibly claiming that they fear persecution at home, can be fast-tracked more..

Jun 27 (Island) Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLI) will offer its customers digital applications for a seamless experience with its products going forward, but we will not underestimate or downsize our insurance agent network which has significantly helped increase our subscription insurance policies over the years, SLI Chairman Jagath Wellawatta said. "Conventional insurance agents have been the main link for longer-lasting, loyal customer-base while the new generation in business more..

Jun 27 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday completed nine consecutive days of gains, thanks to continuous improvement in investor sentiment. The All Share Price Index gained by 16 points or 0.3% and the S&P SL 20 Index by 9 points or 0.4%. Turnover was a healthy Rs. 1.27 billion. Foreign investors, however, continued to be net sellers. First Capital said the Bourse ended in the positive territory for the ninth consecutive session with the turnover recording above Rs. 1 billion more..

Jun 27 (DM) Although representatives of the World Muslim League (WML) had announced a donation of USD 5 million to support victims of the Easter Sunday attacks in July 2019, the Catholic Church was not aware of further progress of this initiative, Director of Sethsarana, the charity wing of the catholic church, Father Nishantha Ramanayake informed PCoI. He said that the WML had made this announcement at more..

Jun 27 (CT) Access Engineering, a leading civil engineering company in Sri Lanka recently concluded the rehabilitation and improvements of the Colombo-Kandy road section from Kadawatha to Nittambuwa. The rehabilitation plan was initiated by the RDA with the assistance of local bank funding to ease the traffic congestions in between the economic corridors. Colombo-Kandy (A1) road is the main access route to the commuters across Central Province, North Western Province, more..

Jun 27 (AD) Another batch of Sri Lankans stranded overseas has been repatriated to the island today (26). A special SriLankan Airlines flight carrying 230 Sri Lankans stranded in the Bangaladesh due to COVID- 19, arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake this evening. The SriLankan Airlines flight UL-1190 from Dhaka, Bangladesh arrived at Katunayake at 5. 20 pm. Upon their arrival at the BIA, all passengers were taken to the PCR tests. more..

Jun 27 (DN) The rank or status of a witness has no relevance whatsoever to the PCoI investigating into incidents of political victimisation, Commission Chairman retired SC Justice Upali Abeyratne informed the attorneys of Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe, former Director General of CIABOC. Commission made this observation in response to a statement by Wickremesinghe�s lawyer, Janaka Tissera more..

Jun 27 (AD) Four more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 as of 9 pm today (26), says the Ministry of Health. These fresh cases of novel coronavirus have moved the tally to 2,014. These patients are arrivals from Pakistan, who are under quarantine at the facilities in Miyankulam (3) and Punanai (1). Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries increased to 1,619 earlier today. 384 active cases are currently under medical care at several hospitals across the country. more..

Jun 27 (FT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday called for the setting up of facilities and assistance for skills development for the small-scale enterprises, noting that undue interference by the Govt could interrupt their progress. He made these remarks at a meeting with the representatives of beauty culture and hair dressing industry stakeholders on Thursday. �Enhancing professional standards of those who are engaged in beauty culture and hair dressing, providing more..

Jun 27 (AD) Leader of the TUFF Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, whose startling comment on the killing of Army soldiers sparked controversy, has made yet another revelation. He said, late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, during his administration, had supplied weapons and funds to the LTTE and that he was the one who collected the supply. Karuna Amman also noted that SJB leader Sajith Premadasa more..

Jun 27 (FT) During the two months of a total lockdown, I had plenty of time to contemplate on the purpose and meaning of life. Just when the lockdown eased up, a person I have known for more than 40 years died by suicide. Suicide is the ultimate retreat from life. The lockdown that turned our lives upside down was all about the idea of overcoming death. Defeating death has been the quest of mankind since the discovery of ignorance and the beginning of science. more..

Jun 27 (FT) It is perhaps trite to observe that in adversity there is opportunity. The observation holds for both man as well as the collective in the form of a nation. And when hard times hit, like any typical individual, fallen nations will also attempt to rise, to go on from where they stopped. Human nature is oriented towards progress. There are in recent history, good examples being Germany and Japan, of countries flattened out and utterly destroyed in World War II, rising within more..

Jun 27 (ST) From August 1, foreigners will be required to pay US$ 65 as charges for PCR tests to determine if they are free of COVID-19 before they are allowed into the country, the Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi said. He said under new health guidelines, foreigners would be required to stay on for 24 hours in a location close to the airport until the PCR test report was made available. If the report was negative, they would be allowed to proceed on their tour. more..

Jun 27 (SLN) The Navy apprehended 02 persons attempting to smuggle a stock of drugs belonging to the category of Kerala cannabis to the island by sea, during a special coordinated search operation conducted with the SL Coast Guard in northern seas on 24th June 2020. SL Navy has been conducting regular operations to prevent illegal drugs being smuggled to the island via sea routes. During a similar operation in northern seas in the wee hours on 24th June, the Navy with the assistance of more..

Jun 27 (ST) In a hard-hitting message, Sri Lanka this week abstained from voting for any candidate�Canada, Ireland or Norway�from the Western European and Other States Group (WEOG) in a contest for the UN Security Council�s (UNSC) non-permanent seats. The basis for the decision was conveyed to all three countries. They were made to understand that �they also need to rethink the way they do business with us� more..

Jun 27 (Island) The UNP will commence its general election campaign tomorrow from Colombo. Party General Secretary Akila Wiraj Kariyawasam said yesterday that the campaign would be commenced under the leadership of their leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and would rely on latest communication methods including social media in its first phase. He said that arrangements had been made to start the second phase of the campaign at district and electorate level on July 4. more..